Vacuum breaker for hose connection

ABSTRACT

A vacuum breaker for hose connection includes an upper and a lower connecting element for connecting to a hose bibb and a hose connection, respectively, and a pressure pad. The upper connecting element internally has a waterproof gasket supported on a transverse partition to tightly contact with an end surface of the hose bibb. The lower connecting element has an internal stepped surface with a plurality of spaced air holes for communicating an inner space of the vacuum breaker with external environment. The pressure pad has a convex top with a central hole and is rested on the stepped surface. The pressure pad is deformed by water impacted to seal the air holes on the stepped surface, and restores to the convex top to open the air holes when the hose bibb is turned off, so that water remained in the water tube can be vacuum drained.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a vacuum breaker for hose connection, and more particularly to a vacuum breaker for hose connection that uses a convex-topped pressure pad to elastically seal or open a plurality of air holes on the valve, so that residual water in the water tube discharge of water through the air ports and provide protection of the potable water supply against contaminants. That enter the system through back pressure equal to 29.9 kpa(4.33 p.s.i) and back siphonage through the hose threaded outlets.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

People living in cold and snowy places often have the problem of frozen water supply. When a hose bibb and hydrant, faucet are turned off, a water tube, particularly one that supplies water for use outdoors, would have internal pressure smaller than atmosphere pressure, preventing residual water in the water tube from being fully drained off and contaminated water is not transmitted back into the potable water supply system when back pressure is encountered. The retained water forms separated water barriers in the water tube to prevent external air from entering the water tube. The water barriers finally become frozen in the water tube and prevent the latter from being directly used next time.

To solve the problem of blocked water tube due to retained and frozen water therein, there has been developed a general vacuum breaker for water tube 1′, top and bottom perspective views of which are shown in Figs. 1 and 2, respectively. The vacuum breaker for water tube 1′ includes an upper and a lower connecting element 11, 12, which are coupled to one another and all in the form of a cylindrical member. The upper connecting element 11 is provided at one side with a tightening device 111, and the lower connecting element 12 internally defines a radially inward extended stepped surface 121, on which a plurality of air holes 122 are spaced.

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of a conventional vacuum breaker for water tube 1′, which includes an upper connecting element 11 for connecting to a hose bibb 2 (also refer to FIG. 9), and a lower connecting element 12 coupled to a lower end of the upper connecting element 11 for a water tube 3 (also refer to FIG. 9) to connect thereto. The upper connecting element 11 is provided at one side with a tightening device 111 to ensure firm and tight association of the upper connecting element 11 with the hose bibb 2, and internally includes a transverse partition 112 having a water outlet 113. An annular waterproof gasket 114 is supported on the transverse partition 112 to tightly contact with an end surface of a spout of the hose bibb 2. The lower connecting element 12 includes a plurality of air holes 122 spaced along an internal stepped surface 121 to communicate an inner space of the vacuum breaker 1′ with external environment. A pressure pad 123 having a central hole 124 is rested on the stepped surface 121, a spring 125 is disposed in the lower connecting element 12 below the pressure pad 123, and a lifting member 126 is inserted in the spring 125.

When the hose bibb 2 is turned on to supply water, the lifting member 126 is subjected to a force of the supplied water and moves downward to thereby compress the spring 125. At this point, the pressure pad 123, which is also subjected to the downward force of the supplied water, is not upward pushed by the lifting member 126 and thereby naturally seals the air holes 122 to prevent the supplied water from flowing therethrough, as shown in FIG. 4. On the other hand, when the hose bibb 2 is turned off, the lifting member 126 is no longer subjected to any downward force of water and releases the compressed spring 125. A restoring force of the spring 125 elastically pushes the lifting member 126 upward against the pressure pad 123, which is not subjected to any downward force of water now, causing the pressure pad 123 to slightly curve upward, as shown in FIG. 5, and thereby opens the air holes 122 to admit external air to the water tube 3. This allows the water tube 3 to have internal pressure equal or less than the atmosphere pressure and thereby discharge of water through the air ports as much as possible any residual water therefrom. Any amount of water remained in the water tube 3 shall be so small that it would not form any water barrier to block the water tube 3 even in a frozen state.

However, the spring 125 in the conventional vacuum breaker for water tube is subject to rust corrosion or elastic fatigue after being used over a long time. A rusted corrosion or elastically fatigue spring 125 would very possibly prevent the lifting member from smoothly moving upward or downward to fully open or seal the air holes 122. At this point, the problem of blocked water tube due to water retained and frozen therein would occur again or contaminated water is transmitted back into the water system.

It is therefore tried by the inventor to develop a vacuum breaker for hose connection that has simplified internal structure and accordingly reduced manufacturing cost, and helps a water tube connected thereto to vacuum drain any residual water therefrom.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A primary object of the present invention is to provide a vacuum breaker for water tube that uses a convex-topped pressure pad to elastically seal or open a plurality of air holes on the valve, so that residual water in the water tube discharge of water through the air ports, and the structure of the valve is simplified to reduce the manufacturing cost thereof.

To achieve the above and other objects, the vacuum breaker for hose connection according to the present invention includes an upper connecting element for connecting to a hose bibb, a lower connecting element coupled to a lower end of the upper connecting element for a water tube to connect thereto, and a pressure pad. The upper connecting element is internally provided with a waterproof gasket supported on a transverse partition to tightly contact with an end surface of the hose bibb. The lower connecting element has an internal stepped surface, on which a plurality of air holes are spaced to communicate an inner space of the vacuum breaker with external environment. The pressure pad has an upward convex top with a central hole and is rested on the stepped surface of the lower connecting element. The pressure pad is elastically deformed and flattened under a water force impacted thereon to thereby seal the air holes on the stepped surface, and automatically elastically restores to the convex top to open the air holes when the hose bibb is turned off, so that any water remained in the water tube could be vacuum drained.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The structure and the technical means adopted by the present invention to achieve the above and other objects can be best understood by referring to the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments and the accompanying drawings, wherein

FIG. 1 is a top perspective view of a general vacuum breaker for hose connection;

FIG. 2 is a bottom perspective view of the general vacuum breaker for hose connection of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view showing an internal structure of a conventional vacuum breaker for hose connection;

FIG. 4 is an assembled and sectioned side view of the conventional vacuum breaker for hose connection of FIG. 3 in a state of sealing air holes thereof;

FIG. 5 is an assembled and sectioned side view of the conventional vacuum breaker for hose connection of FIG. 3 in a state of opening air holes thereof; FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view showing an internal structure of a vacuum breaker for hose connection according to the present invention;

FIG. 7 is an assembled and sectioned side view of the vacuum breaker for hose connection of the present invention in a state of sealing air holes thereof;

FIG. 8 is an assembled and sectioned side view of the vacuum breaker for hose connection of the present invention in a state of opening air holes thereof; and

FIG. 9 shows an example of use of the vacuum breaker for hose connection of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Please refer to FIG. 6 that is an exploded perspective view of a vacuum breaker for hose connection 1 according to the present invention. As shown, the vacuum breaker for hose connection 1 includes an upper connecting element 11 for connecting to a hose bibb 2 (see FIG. 9), and a lower connecting element 12 coupled to a lower end of the upper connecting element 11 for a water tube 3 to connect thereto, as shown in FIG. 9.

The upper connecting element 11 is provided at one side with a tightening device 111 for ensuring a firm and tight association of the upper connecting element 11 with the hose bibb 2, and internally includes a transverse partition 112 provided with a water outlet 113. An annular waterproof gasket 114 is supported on the partition 112 for tightly contacting with an end surface of a spout of the hose bibb 2.

The lower connecting element 12 internally defines an annular and radially inward extended stepped surface 121, on which a plurality of air holes 122 are spaced to communicate an inner space of the vacuum breaker for water tube 1 with an external environment. A pressure pad 4 having a central hole 41 provided at an upward convex top thereof is rested on the stepped surface 121 to elastically deform and become flattened in response to water flown against it and thereby seals the air holes 122 on the stepped surface 121.

More specifically, when water is supplied via the hose bibb 2 to flow through the vacuum breaker for hose connection 1, the pressure pad 4 is subjected to a downward force from the supplied water and the convex top of the pressure pad 4 is deformed and flattened to thereby seal the air holes 122 on the stepped surface 121 of the lower connecting element 12, as shown in FIG. 7. At this point, all the water supplied from the hose bibb 2 flows through the central hole 41 of the pressure pad 4 without moving to the air holes 122. On the other hand, when the hose bibb 2 is turned off, the pressure pad 4 is no longer subjected to any downward force from the water and automatically elastically restores to its original convex shape and thereby opens the air holes 122 to admit external air to the water tube 3, as shown in FIG. 8. This allows the water tube 3 to have internal pressure equal or less than the atmosphere pressure and thereby drain off as much as possible any residual water therefrom. In case of any amount of water remained in the water tube 3, it shall be so small that no water barrier would be formed to block the water tube 3 even in a frozen state.

The vacuum breaker for hose connection 1 of the present invention is different from the conventional ones in that it includes a convex-topped and elastically deformable pressure pad 4 to replace the conventional lifting member and spring to achieve the same good effect of avoiding contaminated water is transmitted back into the water supply system and a frozen water tube while solving the problem of having a rusted corrosion and/or elastically fatigue spring and accordingly an immovable lifting member in the vacuum breaker. With the convex-topped pressure pad that elastically seals or opens the air holes on the lower connecting element of the vacuum breaker of the present invention, residual water could be fully removed from the water tube to achieve the effect of vacuum draining and against contaminants that can enter the system through bake pressure equal to 29.9 kpa(4.33 p.s.i) and back siphonage through the hose threaded outlets. The vacuum breaker for hose connection of the present invention also has effectively simplified internal structure to largely reduce the manufacturing cost thereof. 

1. A vacuum breaker for hose connection, comprising an upper connecting element for connecting to a hose bibb and hydrant, a lower connecting element coupled to a lower end of said upper connecting element for a water tube to connect thereto, and a pressure pad disposed in said lower connecting element; said upper connecting element being internally provided with a transverse partition having a water outlet formed thereat, and an annular waterproof gasket supported on said partition to tightly contact with an end surface of a spout of said hose bibb; said lower connecting element internally defining a radially inward extended stepped surface, on which a plurality of air holes are spaced to communicate an inner space of said vacuum breaker with external environment; and said pressure pad having an upward convex top with a central hole and being rested on said stepped surface of said lower connecting element; said pressure pad being elastically deformable to seal said air holes on said stepped surface of said lower connecting element when water is supplied from said hose bibb and impacts on said convex top of said pressure pad, and automatically elastically restoring to said convex top to open said air holes when said hose bibb is turned off.
 2. The vacuum breaker for hose connection as claimed in claim 1, wherein said upper connecting element is provided at one side with a tightening device to ensure a firm and tight association of said upper connecting element with said hose bibb. 